LDR Ch 30

With the beautiful scenery in the background, the final qualifying session finally began, and after Nathan went out first, Harrison also went out onto the track a little later.

— In this Grand Prix, ABW’s pace is particularly outstanding. The car has had great pace this year, and ABW has been consistently strong on street circuits and in corners for several years, so everyone’s attention was focused on them.

— Yes. Both drivers are doing very well, but Harry has always been dominant in Monaco. Even before he transferred, he was a driver who was particularly strong in Monaco.

After the commentators’ words, Nathan and Harrison’s flying laps, having finally finished their out laps, began.

— Nate’s pace is very good at the moment. Sector 1 purple, sector 2 purple, ah, Harrison Turner, who came out behind, has taken the sector 1 purple. But Nathan Morel still has sector 3 left!

— And it’s his first flying lap.

In this Grand Prix, ABW’s pace was so dominant that for the Grand Prix to be interesting, there had to be an internal fight. On top of that, Monaco is a meaningful circuit in many ways, so every F1 driver wanted to win there. So the onlookers were focused on how ABW’s two drivers would perform, but on the first flying lap, Harrison surpassed Nathan’s record without any room for doubt.

— Oh! Alfred Hansen! Alfred Hansen pushes ABW’s Nathan Morel out of 2nd place!

Then, at the sudden turn of events, he felt the gazes of the people who had been drinking champagne and talking around him turn to Leo. Leo smiled nonchalantly, gave a nod of acknowledgment, and then turned his gaze back to the broadcast. If it was going to be like this, he should have just watched from the garage.

After all the other drivers had set a time once, they all went back into the garage, and after some maintenance, they returned to the track one by one. It was a channel with only the broadcast audio, so he could not check the radio unless the broadcast played it, but he could tell that Nathan must have been quite disappointed.

Nathan was an ABW junior, and the team cherished him. When they first took over the team from Ellington, they were even told that if they could not give Nathan a seat, they had to take responsibility and find him another good position.

But, even so, unlike Harrison, who was in a position to choose his own clauses in a multi-year contract, Nathan had only ever renewed a one-year contract, so his seat for next year was still uncertain. So he was getting anxious.

Although Leo was Harrison’s lover, it was natural for him to cherish Nathan as a driver as well. He was a driver he had handpicked in the first place. On top of that, in Monaco, Leo could wish for Nathan to get 2nd place with all his heart. On other circuits, he would worry that they would crash if they were too close, but overtaking was impossible in Monaco anyway. If they started 1st and 2nd in qualifying, they could finish the main race 1st and 2nd with peace of mind.

— The drivers are coming back out onto the track. Will they be able to reduce their lap times?

— Oh, Nathan Morel! His pace is good! He seems to be hitting the braking points perfectly, that’s very bold driving. You have to have a precise understanding of the circuit there because you can’t see the corner.

Just looking at his times so far, Nathan could definitely set a new record. Maybe even the 1st place record that Harrison had set earlier. After him, Harrison’s flying lap began, and the broadcast focused on Harrison.

— The first corner is very tricky for braking, you have to brake hard while still in the corner, so it’s easy to get front lock-up. You have to have absolute confidence in your braking. But look at Harry, he makes it look incredibly easy!

The camera moved along with Harrison, showing the scenery. As the commentator said, Harrison exited the tricky corner quickly. The Monaco track is a public road, so it is very bumpy, and to make matters worse, there was even an uphill section. But he drove through it without any hesitation.

— This is also a difficult place to brake because it’s downhill. The track grip is particularly bad in this area. His teammate Nathan lost a little time here, but Harry Turner is drawing a perfect racing line!

After passing through the circuit with the corner called the Grand Hotel Hairpin in between, the tunnel finally appears. Harrison entered the tunnel without hesitation, passed through it without wavering, and came back out onto the track.

After that, brake control was essential. If you misjudged the braking point here even slightly, you would hit the wall right away. Monaco is a street circuit with no buffer zones at all, so a mistake immediately led to retirement, and there was no distance or time to absorb the impact.

— Ah! It looks like he hit the barrier!

— No, no. He didn’t touch it, did he touch it? It doesn’t look like he touched it. It was very close. But it doesn’t look like he touched it!

Only then did Leo realize that he had been clenching his fists and his expression had hardened. The Monaco Grand Prix required using every possibility on the narrow road. That is why they used the expression “kissing the barrier” when they turned corners with the wheels and the barrier so close, and it seemed the commentator was also unsure whether Harrison had hit the barrier a moment ago.

But instead of replaying the footage, the camera continued to follow Harrison, and he soon entered the corner called Rascasse. This corner also required turning while braking. It was tricky to have to turn the steering wheel while braking on a straight, but above all, the corner was not visible from his line of sight.

— Ah, he exits the corner very beautifully!

As he said, Harrison, who exited the corner precisely without a single wasted movement, once again pushed aside Nathan’s record, which had pushed aside his own record a moment ago, and reclaimed 1st place. At that sight, applause erupted from the surroundings, and the broadcast replayed the scene of Harrison turning the barrier.

The wheel did not touch the barrier, but it was brushing against the barrier so closely that it was difficult to tell without looking closely. If the intangible concept of talent were visible, it would look just like that.

— My goodness! Even watching it, I have no idea how he did it. It’s a very brave and bold move. And of course, it was also precise!

— Even watching it, I’m not sure if it touched or not. It’s a perfect lap. He really kissed the barrier! An undisputed pole position!

Leo looked out at the scene with his own eyes. The loud sound of the racing cars echoed through the beautiful scenery.

ABW’s two drivers finished qualifying in 1st and 2nd place respectively, and as expected of Monaco, they also finished the main race in 1st and 2nd. On top of that, since it was a circuit with great symbolism, everyone on the team was ecstatic. However, the protagonist of the boat party, which was being held on the yacht provided by the team, had not yet appeared, as the winner of Monaco had a special prize of dinner with the Monaco royal family and had not yet returned.

“Isn’t it a bit strange to just stay docked?”

The team could not all just wait for Harrison, so the party had started, but even though they had prepared a yacht, it was just docked.

“The most important thing is that there’s alcohol.”

With those words, Nathan, holding a glass, tried to go to the bar again. He’s already drunk. Although he did not get 1st place, 2nd was definitely a good result, so Nathan was happy and the entire team was happy. So happy that everyone was very drunk before the yacht even departed.

“Leo!”

At the call, he turned his head, and Nathan happily handed Leo a glass. Leo just took the glass and sent Nathan into the arms of the other already drunk people. Then, as he was talking with the less drunk people, he suddenly felt everyone’s gazes turn to one spot.

“Right, he does look like that.”

At those words, Leo also naturally turned his head. Harrison was finally coming onto the yacht. It was a face he saw all the time, yet it was somehow different.

His tall frame, visible from a distance, was wrapped in a well-tailored suit, unlike the usual team logo t-shirts or driver’s suits, and his always messy hair was neatly slicked back behind his forehead.

The atmosphere that was always engulfed in racing had calmly settled and hovered around him, and unlike his usual appearance of being surrounded by people wherever he went, listening to and discussing things with team members, the sight of him walking in alone looked particularly relaxed and natural.

It was somehow like seeing a strange man, not their usual driver. A man who captivated everyone’s attention, a man who seemed like he could have anything he wanted.

As he could not take his eyes off him, feeling as if he were seeing a stranger, the gaze that had been walking with an indifferent expression suddenly met his. Then, warmth instantly filled the expressionless face, and the corners of his flatly closed mouth rose smoothly.

“He’s here!”

The team members, who were very drunk even before the yacht had departed, finally spotted Harrison and shouted, and the atmosphere was instantly broken.

The less drunk team members, though they knew he was handsome, had become accustomed to their driver who was always wearing clothes with the team logo and rolling around carelessly, and were a little taken aback to realize that he was that kind of man outside the track, but the drunk team members did not care about that and all ran up and sprayed champagne all over Harrison.

“Why me, why, wait a minute!”

Even so, the team members who had already had quite a bit to drink were not likely to stop, and in the end, Harrison, drenched despite the meaninglessness of wearing a suit, chased after each team member one by one, hugged them, and got them wet too. As he was watching that with a smile, his eyes suddenly met his again. It was a distinctly different eye contact from when Harrison had entered the yacht a moment ago.

“No, don’t come to me, hey!”

But before he could avoid it, Harrison approached, hugged Leo tightly, and lifted him up.

“Being at a Monaco boat party without me, isn’t that too dangerous?”

The voice that came out, small enough for only him to hear as he was put back down, was full of laughter. As his hand brushed back his hair, which was wet with champagne, the distinct lines of his eyebrows and the bridge of his nose cast a slight shadow, revealing a relaxed air that seemed beyond his age. On top of that, sadly for all his efforts to dress up, his suit was a mess, and the white shirt underneath was soaked, revealing the contours of his body.

“We didn’t even leave until you came.”

When he tried to speak naturally, Harrison took another step closer, placed his hand on Leo’s shoulder, and pointed to one side with his hand.

“Look over there and smile.”

He already knew, but had momentarily forgotten, that a camera was filming the party. It would probably be edited all together and uploaded as a highlights video after the season ended.

“I need to have a video to watch when I’m alone later too.”

“I don’t watch it for that reason either.”

He was saying all sorts of things. Even though he himself would call on video chat when he wanted to see him while they were apart and ask him to take off some clothes. It was not even rare since they were apart for a lot of time in the first place.

But Leo, as he was told, smiled and waved at the camera, and then pushed Harrison back to where the team members were gathered. Harrison looked at Leo from the crowd with a betrayed expression, but Leo did not care. It was the team’s right to play with the winner.

“I think it’s better to be hated.”

After the party, they barely escaped from the team members who wanted to go somewhere else, and as they entered the private yacht Leo had docked in advance, Harrison immediately wrapped his arms around Leo’s waist, rested his forehead on his shoulder, and slowly shook his head.

“Nate?”

“Yeah. At this point, I think I’m allowed to be creeped out.”

As he said, the very drunk Nathan had come up to Harrison and kept asking how he did it. It seemed he had a lot of questions, perhaps because he had watched his driving from behind him throughout the race today. Normally, he would not have asked because of his pride, but it seemed he had decided to just ask everything while he was drunk and had no self-control.

He was so persistent that later, Leo also just abandoned Harrison, telling him to deal with Nathan himself, and left. As he smiled and gently stroked his hair, Harrison started walking and said.

“Should I buy a yacht too?”

“Are you moving?”

Even though he had told him to move somewhere with lower taxes, he had insisted on staying in the UK, so he did not know what had changed his mind, but it was not bad. The paparazzi were getting bad again anyway, so it was hard to meet each other in the UK unless it was at the headquarters.

“I’m not going to move.”

“Then where are you going to dock the yacht?”

“Here.”

At the ridiculous suggestion, Leo gently pulled a strand of Harrison’s hair.

“You’re going to go bankrupt living like that.”

Leo had everything he needed, and even things he did not need, so he could not understand why he would want to buy something with his own money. If he really wanted something of his own, he could just ask for one. How much could he earn on his own?

“If I go bankrupt, pick me up.”

“Then I’ll hire you as a babysitter.”

“Sounds good.”

At the ticklish laugh that reached his shoulder, he himself started to laugh. Harrison was particularly good at taking care of and liked children. It was strange how he, who was home for less than a month a year, was good at childcare, something that seemed only stable people could do.

“They look so much like you.”

“I don’t see it.”

“They’re all blond, and they follow me around. Like little chicks.”

“When did I ever do that?”

Of course, he had. Still, he 괜히 denied it, lifted his face, and cupped it with both hands, and Harrison came closer and gave him a short kiss.

At that contact, a laugh naturally came out. At that, Harrison made small, cute sounds and kept pressing their lips together here and there. As he accepted those movements and finally entered the cabin, his eyes were suddenly covered.

“What now?”

Even so, he obediently let his eyes be covered and followed Harrison’s movements, and soon he felt a bed behind his back. Then, the hand covering his eyes disappeared. When he turned his gaze, red flower petals were scattered on the white bed sheets.

“You really must be sorry to me.”

“Yeah.”

And when he turned his gaze a little more, there was a small cake and wine on the table next to the bed.

“When did you ask for this to be prepared?”

He asked, curious as to when on earth he had told the crew, and Harrison smiled.

“I did it. I stopped by for a moment before going to the team yacht.”

Leo finally held his face in his hands and met his gaze.

“You are the epitome of a man you should not date.”

“I know.”

“You make me sick with worry and then are nice to me later.”

At those words, Harrison, without any answer, gently rubbed the tip of his nose against the nape of Leo’s neck.

“I like it when you smile.”

It was a cliché, but he knows it is sincere. Because Harrison was always like that. Ever since a long time ago, if Leo seemed even a little depressed or in a bad mood, Harrison would try to cheer him up somehow.

“It’s sexy when you’re annoyed too, but still, I don’t want to make you angry.”

Harrison, who gently kissed his neckline, raised his head again and met Leo’s gaze. The soft-colored eyes reflected only the other person.

“But if I ever do something wrong to you again, or make you angry, I will always apologize.”

His lips, as if continuing an unfinished apology, gently caressed every corner of his face.

“I will cheer you up, and I will think of you first.”

Leo suddenly looked at the rose petals scattered next to his hair.

“And I hope you always know that.”

Leo looked at Harrison again. There was no need to hope, it was just a given.

“That you’ll come to make up for it after acting like an asshole?”

Despite that, at the blunt voice, Harrison flinched. Leo looked him straight in the face and continued.

“You’re only nice on days when the race goes well.”

“I’ll be nice on days when it doesn’t go well too.”

“And you’re too stubborn.”

“I’m only like that during races.”

“And I have to listen to all of it.”

Harrison fell silent, as if he had nothing to say. Leo, feeling a certain love for that awkward best effort, finally cupped his cheek with his hand.

“But I still love you.”

Leo examined his face feature by feature. Loving Harrison was a given, but loving him this much was always incomprehensible. Maybe it was a problem with conjunctions. Therefore, so, because of that, if it were these conjunctions, he could understand. But Leo loved Harrison, nevertheless.

Even if he was angry, even if he was annoyed, even if he could not stand the sight of him, even if he was disappointed, even if he hated him, still.

“So if I’m angry, make sure you come and soothe me.”

But the reality is, Harrison had all those conjunctions. So he loves him, therefore he loves him, because of that he loves him, and he still loves him.

“Don’t make excuses and say you’re sorry. And be nice to me. So that I’ll be in the mood to say I love you again.”

“Okay.”